Touring the Bases with…Jack Perconte

On October 2, 1983, Red Sox legend and Lynch family hero Carl Yastrzemski lofted a high pop-up to the right of second base in his final major league at-bat, the ball finally settling into the glove of Indians second baseman Jack Perconte.  Only a few months later, Perconte moved west and spent the next two seasons playing in Seattle, only a few hours north of my new hometown of Vancouver, Washington.  Though the physical distance between us has widened since then—Perconte resides in Illinois; I live in Oregon—thanks to the Internet, I was able to meet the man who caught Yaz’s last pop-up, and for whom I rooted from 1984-1985 while he played second base for the Mariners.  Here he discusses his major league career and what he’s been up to since retiring from the game in 1987. 

Mike Lynch: You made your first major league appearance on September 13, 1980 with the Dodgers, pinch running for Gary Thomasson in the eighth inning of a 1-1 game against the Reds at Riverfront Stadium. Can you talk about how it felt to be in a major league game for the first time, and whether or not you felt any pressure being the potential go-ahead run in an important game late in a tight pennant race?

Jack Perconte: To be honest, I don’t remember it – I am sure I was nervous even if it was just pinch running.

ML: Two days later , you recorded your first major league at-bat when you pinch hit for Fernando Valenzuela in the eighth inning of a game against the Braves at Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta. Can you talk about how it felt to bat for the first time in the majors?

JP: I was always a patient hitter who liked to see a lot of pitches, but I remember my thought process was to be aggressive and I believe I swung at the 1st pitch and popped it up. I believe it was a number of feelings—awe, excitement, nervousness.

ML: On September 17, 1980 you got your first major league start , playing second base in Dodger Stadium against San Diego, and you were instrumental in the Dodgers’ 2-1 win over the Padres, going 1-for-3 with a walk, an RBI, a run scored, and a stolen base on offense, and recording five putouts and three assists, and turning a double play on defense. Can you talk about how thrilling it must have been to get your first start as a Dodger and was it even more so because it was at home and not on the road?

JP: I remember playing the whole game without ever looking up above the first tier of bleachers. I was nervous enough and didn’t want to feel overwhelmed by looking up and viewing the whole stadium. The thrill part usually comes after the game when you realize you made it through and didn’t mess up too bad.  To actually help us win the game really made it special. I hate to admit this but the hit that produced the RBI was actually a suicide squeeze bunt where I popped the ball up over the pitcher’s head and beat it out for a hit. As they say though, “it’s a line drive in the box score.”

ML: You had a very successful minor league career, batting at least .322 in four of your first six years, and hitting .346 in 1981, but in your first real major league action with the Indians in 1982, you batted .237, and hit .270 over the course of your seven-year career. What was the main difference between minor league pitching and major league pitching and when did you realize the majors were going to be much more difficult than the minors?

JP: I was a contact hitter, so even though the pitching was better in the Big Leagues, I honestly believe I struggled because of poor hitting mechanics that year and a subsequent loss of confidence. The combination of bad fundamentals and a lack of confidence is tough to overcome and it took the following year back in Triple-A ball to regain both.

ML: You and pitcher Rick Sutcliffe were traded by the Dodgers to the Cleveland Indians on December 9, 1981 for Jorge Orta, Larry White, and Jack Fimple. How did it feel when you learned you were traded to Cleveland? Did you look at it as a fresh opportunity to become a starting second baseman, or were you disappointed to be going to a franchise that hadn’t finished higher than fourth place since 1968?

JP: Definitely as an opportunity. The Dodgers made it clear that I was not in their future plans so I was excited to get a fresh start with a team who wanted me. It was a little culture shock though playing in the old and empty Cleveland stadium after having played in Dodger Stadium.

ML: You were the Indians’ starting second baseman in Carl Yastrzemski’s last game on October 2, 1983 at Fenway Park, and you caught the last ball Yaz ever hit in his career when he popped up to second in the seventh inning in his final major league at-bat. Can you talk about what it was like to be at Fenway that day, witnessing the end of a Hall of Fame career?

JP: The whole weekend series was an incredible experience. Every time Yaz even stuck his head out of the dugout, the whole place went berserk. Additionally, the fans were constantly chanting “Carl Yastrzemski” in a rhythmic tone, which I can still hear in my memory today. If I recall correctly, the count went to 3 & 0 on his last at bat and no one wanted his last at bat to be a walk, including Yaz, so he swung at a pitch he wouldn’t have normally, and popped it up to me.

ML: After two years with Cleveland, you were traded to Seattle (along with Gorman Thomas) on December 7, 1983, for second baseman Tony Bernazard. How did it feel to learn you were going to Seattle? Because the Mariners traded Bernazard to get you and Thomas, and because they’d traded second baseman Julio Cruz to the White Sox earlier that year, you must have figured you had a very good chance to be the Mariners’ full-time second baseman, but when did you know for sure?

JP: The reason I felt I had a good chance was that the manager of the Mariners at the time was Del Crandall, whom I had played for in the Dodger organization a few years prior to that. He had confidence in me so that gave me the confidence I needed to perform well.

ML: You enjoyed your best season in 1984 and led the Mariners in games, at-bats, hits, runs, and stolen bases, and finished second on the team in batting at .294. Then in 1985 your numbers slipped a little, but you were still the team’s top base stealer with 31, you were second in triples with seven, and you were enjoying your best defensive season yet. But, in a controversial move, you were sent down to the minors on July 9 and replaced by 24-year-old Harold Reynolds. General manager Hal Keller took so much heat from your teammates and the fans for demoting you that he ended up resigning four days later. Can you talk about being demoted and the controversy surrounding the move?

JP: As you mentioned, I was struggling some with my hitting, but I was doing some other little things to contribute. Additionally, the team was playing well up to that point in the season and I was one of the team leaders. I am sure Mr. Keller was trying to help the team with the move, because Harold was a real good player, but the timing was bad and the team, fans and front office realized it and voiced their displeasure. That led to Mr. Keller’s departure, the team went into a tailspin and we fell out of contention that season.

It was a difficult time for me personally as you might expect and especially on my family. My wife and I had a two-year-old and my wife was pregnant at the time of the demotion, so there were a lot of variables involved along with the disappointment.

ML: You were called back up to the Mariners on August 3 and proceeded to hit .302 from that point on, including .310 in August and September, and you reached base at a nearly .400 clip. Was there extra motivation on your part to prove that you belonged in the big leagues and to prove Keller wrong, or was it just a coincidence that you happened to get hot upon your return?

JP: I don’t believe it was coincidence or extra motivation. I will refer back to what I mentioned earlier about my days in Cleveland; before the demotion my hitting fundamentals were not solid, for reasons I wish I knew, and if I did know, I guess I wouldn’t have struggled. Without getting too technical, hitting is such a fine art that if any little fundamental is incorrect, it can lead to many failed attempts. When I returned from the minor leagues, I had found my swing and timing again.

I honestly believe that I gave as mush as I could give every game so personally, I don’t believe in extra motivation. That would imply that I wasn’t giving my all before that and I don’t believe that.

ML: I have a few copies of The Scouting Report , from 1983, ’85, and ’86, and I want to discuss a few things that were written about you and get your response to those passages. In the ’83 edition, it was written that “Perconte likes high fastballs and looks for them. To get him out, keep the ball low and away.” But in the ’86 edition, it was written, “Perconte can handle the fastball, especially over the plate, but not if it is too high in the strike zone; he likes to hit the low fastball by just dropping the bat head to the ball.” Is that an accurate assessment and, if so, did you consciously change your approach or did you just evolve into a low fastball hitter over time?

JP: Wow. I wish I had known those things back then. Ha. I did realize at some point that it didn’t pay for a slap-hitter like I was to hit the ball in the air too often, because it would usually get caught. So I believe I learned to lay off the high pitches some as time went on.

ML: Those same books criticized your pivot on the double play, the ’83 edition saying you had “serious problems trying to make a double play,” and the ’86 edition claiming that you were “one of the worst second basemen in the American League at turning the double play,” that you worked with Mariners manager Chuck Cottier on your double play skills, and that “no appreciable improvement has been observed.” I find that last statement difficult to believe. In 1985, the Mariners turned fewer double plays than expected, but by any other measure, you were one of the best second basemen in the A.L. in terms of double plays. Do you think The Scouting Report was fair in its assessment of your defensive abilities or do you think they were a little harsh? If you were, in fact, struggling with that aspect of your game, how much did Cottier help you?

JP: I would agree with the assessment. I was very shaky defensively with average hands at best and a below average major league arm. Chuck Cottier was a great help especially with my confidence because those were things I knew I did not perform well, so it helped to have coaches like Chuck and others who worked with me and believed in me.

ML: You retired in 1987 after splitting time between Chicago and Buffalo of the American Association in 1986, then playing for Albuquerque in ’87. At what point did you realize it was time to hang up your spikes and move on to a new career?

JP: After the 1986 season, there were only two teams who were interested in me. So, after a subpar year in 1987 the writing was on the wall and I knew it was time to move on.

ML: Who was the most talented player you ever played with? Who was the most talented player you ever played against?

JP: That is very hard to answer because there were so many great, talented players. Because my best years were with the Mariners I will go with Alvin Davis for the player I played with. He was by no means the best athlete I played with but just watching him swing and hit the ball was a “beautiful thing.”

As for opposing players, I was always most in awe of Eddie Murray and George Brett – to be on the same field as those two was an incredible experience.

ML: Since retiring, you’ve been a pretty busy guy and have stayed active in baseball. You opened a baseball training academy in Naperville, Illinois, you recently wrote two books, The Making of a Hitter: A Proven and Practical Step-by-Step Baseball Guide and Raising an Athlete: How to Instill Confidence, Build Skills and Inspire a Love of Sport ; you have a blog dedicated to baseball training , in which you post tips and drills for young players; and you have two blogs at Squidoo.com, “ Coaching Life Lessons Through Sports ” and “ Raising an Athlete .” Can you tell us a little about your books and blogs and what you hope young baseball players and their parents will learn from them?

JP: Another question I could go on and on about, but let me just say, that I don’t think people who read them will feel disappointed in what they learn.

Thanks very much to Jack for taking the time to answer my questions; he was very accommodating and a true gentleman.